Wednesday, February 15, 2012

She brings him to her old primary school, which is located past the river. To get there, they cross the main road in town, using an overhead bridge with two very long switchbacks in place of stairs. Punk motorcyclists have taken to using these as a turn-off into the town. Just as he and his Wife are about to descend from the far side of the bridge, one of these punks sets off a string of firecrackers behind them. They turn around startled. The reminder to never cross the main road pops instantly into his head.

Outside her school compound, she points out the main building, the canteen and the playground. She tells of how she once broke up a fight between gangsters outside the girls' toilet. Her eyes are sparkling as she reminisces about her school days. She recounts how she would dash home from school, have lunch, take a nap and then head back for an afternoon session of games. She confesses she had no real answer to her Mother's query, "Didn't you just see them, like, 2 hours ago? Aren't you tired of seeing them?".

She picks up two rubber seeds, one in each hand.

"This is a game we used to play as kids. See, this one is yours", she says, holding up the one in her right hand with just the finger and thumb.

"The other one is mine. I'm going to press them against each other, between my palms. The one that cracks is the loser." What fun.

"I can see how the days used to fly by here", he quips.

He picks up a rubber seed of his own and starts to rub it against the ground. She tosses hers aside and starts running away.

On the way home, they stop and buy a pack of cigarettes. As always they do a currency conversion, and then express their astonishment at how expensive things back home are.

Upon entering the house, he pumps the cigarette pack into her sister's hand, right in front of their Father!